Theatre for a New Audience to Host 'SEEING COLOR: Casting African Americans in Shakespeare', 2/9

In this 50th anniversary year of the Civil Rights Amendment of 1964, Theatre for a New Audience presents "Seeing Color: Casting African Americans in Shakespeare." This panel is intended to cut to the heart of colorblind casting in Shakespeare today, asking not 'do we see color' but 'should we see color,' especially in Shakespeare.

Is it as August Wilson called "a tool of the Cultural Imperialists," or is it as Robert Brustein described it, an "achievement of...true interculturalism?" Further, is colorblind casting in Shakespeare an aspiration or a relic?

Focusing specifically on the performance history of African Americans in Shakespeare and the experience of black actors and theatre professionals today, we will explore these and other questions in a determined attempt to define and question our perceptions of race.

This free panel discussion features actress, poet, and playwright Nehaissaiu deGannes, actor Jacob Ming-Trent, Shakespeare and 'race performance' scholar Ayanna Thompson (George Washington University), and award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson, and is moderated by Shakespeare and performance scholar Katharine Goodland (College of Staten Island).

The event is set for Sunday, February 9, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at Theatre for a New Audience at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, located at 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn. FREE EVENT. RSVP encouraged but not required. To RSVP or for further information, contact humanities@tfana.org or visit www.tfana.org.